Kingdom Hearts: Lost Souls
by Kaore Ryu
Summary: A moment in time... a chance encounter... that links two hearts together... and gives eachother strength. Rated M for language.
1. Prologue: Birth By Sleep

I only own my OC.

Prologue- Birth by Sleep

World- Radiant Garden

Time- Ten years before Kingdom Hearts.

A little boy sat on white steps that led up to a towering castle. His name was Seiya and he had just turned eight. He had short messy black hair, tanned skin from being outside all the time, and bright green eyes. He was wearing a white T-shirt, black shorts with a leather belt and black boots. Latched onto the belt was a two foot long wooden sword.

He had a very important job… he was supposed to protect the princess from bad people and otherwise keep her company! He watched as the little red haired girl picked flowers in the garden in her little white dress. He was going to grow up and be a big strong knight like Zack and Squall one day and this was his first mission.

"Seiya!" The little red head called to him while waving.

"What's wrong Kaiwi?" He replied.

Unfortunately he had not grown out of baby-talk yet and still sometimes pronounced 'r' like 'w' which really annoyed him but amused everyone else.

"Come look what I found!" Kairi replied happily.

Smiling Seiya hopped to his feet and walked over to the smiling little four year old. When he got there she grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him over to a little patch of Daffodils and pointed.

"Look! I found a puppy!" She said pointing.

Sitting in the Daffodils was a tiny Jack Russell puppy… it was barely bigger than Seiya's hand and was white with a light brown patch over its right eye and floppy black ears. Around its neck was a green collar. Looking up at them it yawned before curling up on the ground.

"Aw its so cute! Can I keep it?" Kairi asked hopefully as she picked it up and hugged it gently.

"It has a collaw Kaiwi. We need to give it back to its Owner." Seiya told her.

For a second Seiya thought Kairi was about to cry but instead she just sniffed and nodded. Just then they heard a womans voice.

"Chomper! Chomper! Are you here?" The voice shouted.

Seiya and Kairi turned and saw a middle-aged woman wearing a yellow sun dress that had black hair and grey eyes looking at them. Smiling when she saw the little puppy dozing in Kairi's arms she walked over.

"Chomper!" She said happily "Thank you for finding him!"

Kairi reluctantly handed the little puppy over to the woman but seemed to be holding back tears as she did so.

"Thank you again for finding him!" The woman said "As a reward you can play with him when I bring him to the park."

"Really!" Kairi asked hopefully.

"Of course. I'm sure Chomper would love to play with you." The woman replied.

"Yay!" Kairi cheered as the woman walked away.

Seiya smiled before taking a seat in a patch of grass and lay back looking up at the clear blue sky. His thoughts wandered to what exactly Master Ansem was researching now and if he would let him help again like he did last time. He had been researching Synthesis and had heard that Seiya had lots and lots of rare materials. He had helped Ansem make a cool weapon that looked like a really, really big key. He wasn't allowed to keep it because when Ansem tried to pick it up to give it to him it vanished in a burst of light. Afterwards Master Ansem had a thoughtful look on his face, thanked him for his assistance and left.

That had been three months ago and when he had gone to see him with Kairi last month he had happily asked Ansem if he needed anymore of his material. Ansem had smiled and told him that he was done researching Synthesis and was trying to figure out what the weapon he had made was.

Suddenly he heard Kairi scream and leapt to his feet. Kairi was surrounded by six sleek, humanoid creatures with blue skin there arms and legs ended in points and had no distinct fingers, they had a triangular head with two long, jagged, lightning bolt-shaped antennae, their red eyes were set in an angry expression and they were moveing in a jerking, twitchy motion.

"Kairi!" Seiya shouted as he pulled out his wooden sword and dashed into the circling creatures.

He grabbed her hand and looked around for an exit before pulling her along, running between a pair of the odd monsters and down the street towards the castle. He dared not turn and look to see if the monsters were chasing them but he knew that they were. As they reached the stairs leading up to a circular landing that was the castle entrance he felt something cut into his arm. Shouting in pain he pushed Kairi forward before turning to face the monsters.

"Wun Kairi! Get to the castle!" He shouted at her.

She didn't move for a second before turning and running up the stairs. The all but one of the monsters sand into the ground to become something like black puddles and rushed past him. He hopped around in a sort of jig to avoid them before realizing the last monster rushed at him. Gripping his wooden sword tightly he slashed at the leaping monster… and surprisingly managed to bisect it. Instead of the two pieces landing in a heap they seemed to burst into black flames before vanishing. Seiya heard Kairi scream again and ran up the stairs. Just as he reached the top he heard a womans voice.

"No! Run!" The woman shouted.

Seiya reached the top of the stairs in time to see a blue haired girl holding a weapon similar to the one he had made move Kairi behind her.

"Kairi!" He shouted as he ran up beside the woman and held his wooden sword in front of him "Go away you monsters!"

"No! You need to get away from here!" The woman told him.

"NO! I'm staying to pwotect my fweind!" He replied bravely.

Just then one of the monsters leapt at them only to be destroyed when… a short human-like mouse destroyed it with another weapon like the one he made and the one the woman had.

"Hurry" The mouse said in a high-pitched voice "You gotta get those two to someplace that's safe!"

"Who are you? Why do you have a Keyblade?" the woman asked in confusion.

"I'll tell ya later! Right now we gotta stop these things!" The mouse said.

The woman nodded and scooped down to pick the two kids up only to find the little boy wasn't there. She looked around in a panic before seeing that he had charged forward yelling with his toy sword raised to strike. She quickly rushed forward and scooped him up under her arm before turning and dashing off.

"HEY! PUT ME DOWN! I WANNA HELP FIGHT THE MONSTEWS!" Seiya shouted as he struggled to get away from the woman.

She set the two of them down at the bottom of a different set of stairs in an open courtyard before putting a hand to stop Seiya from dashing back up the stairs.

"You need to stay and protect your little friend!" The woman said before dashing up the stairs.

Seiya briefly looked sad before turning to check on Kairi. The little four year old had watery eyes but wasn't crying after checking to see if she was hurt but finding nothing he knelt down and looked her in the eyes.

"Awe you okay Kairi?" He asked.

The girl nodded before latching onto his neck and sobbing.

"I was so scared Seiya!" She said.

A few minutes later and the woman and mouse came down the stairs to check on them. Seiya ran between them and Kairi with his sword raised.

"Who are you!" He shouted.

The woman kneeled in front of him and lowered his wooden sword before smiling reassuringly.

"My name is Aqua and I'm a friend." She said soothingly "Is your friend okay?"

"Yeah she is." Seiya said gruffly.

He didn't stop looking at her face with what he hoped was a tough expression… but on an eight year old it only came off as cute.

"Well I'm glad your ok." Aqua said happily.

"This girl is special! We should join forces to protect her!" The mouse suggested.

"Hey its my job to protect Kairi!" Seiya said angrily.

Before they could respond the mouse disappeared in a burst of light and shot off into the sky. The three of them stared at the retreating ball of light for a few seconds before Kairi spoke.

"Here." Kairi said handing the flowers she had picked to Aqua.

Aqua turned to face Kairi and smiled.

"Are these for me?" She asked.

"I picked some flowers. Thank you for saving us." Kairi said.

"Hey I saved you too." Seiya said sadly.

"I know!" Kairi said before hugging Seiya.

Seiya turned and looked at Aqua for a few seconds before smiling widely.

"Your pwetty and very stwong Aqua! Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked.

Aqua looked surprised for a second before smiling and giggling at him.

"Maybe when your older." She replied before rubbing his hair.

She took the two of them to a safe place… and then left.

World-Radiant Garden

Time-One Year later.

Seiya ran through the street trying to escape the mass of little shadow monsters chasing him. For some reason the world was dissolving into shadows and he didn't know what to do. Just as he was about to reach the castle the ground underneath him disappeared… and he fell into darkness.


	2. Awakening

Awakening

I only own my oc's and all Lots Soul's

**Disembodied Voice **

_Song_

Scene

_Seiya's Voice_

An 18 year old Seiya wearing black cargo shorts, a red t-shirt and black vest is standing on a beach with black sand at night as small waves gently breaking at his feet. His face is turned skyward and he has a look of fascination on his face. 

_My heart feels so heavy, like there's a weight on it. _

The words fade away leaving only 'Heart' 'Heavy' and 'Weight' left.

_It feels like I'm missing something vital in my life. _

The words fade again leaving 'Missing' Vital' and 'Life'. 

_Sometimes… I wonder if I'll ever truly be happy in my life. _

The words fade away leaving only 'Sometimes' 'Wonder' 'Happy' and 'Life' left. 

_When you walk away_

_ You don't hear me say __p__lease _

_Oh baby, don't go _

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight _

_It's hard to let it go _

Ominous dark clouds fill the sky obscuring all the stars. Seiya looks around in a combination of fear, confusion, and caution as everything turns pitch black 

_You're giving me __too many things_

_Lately __you're all I need _

_You smiled at me and said, _

Suddenly he is on a different beach at night looking out over a dark sea. A girl with blue hair wearing a black and blue, high-collared halter top, two pink, intersecting belts over her chest, and black shorts sits next to a boulder hugging her knees to her chest with a look of sorrow on her face. Seiya shouts soundlessly before he starts running towards her causing the girl to look at him in surprise. 

_Don't get me wrong I love you _

_But does that mean I have to meet your father?_

_ When we are older you'll understand _

_What I meant when I said "No, _

_I don't think life is quite that simple _

Suddenly thousands of Shadow Heartless rise up out of the ground around the two of them. The girl takes no notice, her only reaction is to cup her face in her hands in despair. Seiya reaches out to her as she is swarmed by Heartless and the beach disappears replaced by a black void. Seiya lets out a silent shout of rage and starts trying to punch the Heartless fruitlessly. 

_When you walk away_

_ You don't hear me say __please _

_Oh baby, don't go_

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight _

_It's hard to let it go _

Suddenly the Heartless vanish and he is standing on a different beach in the sunlight of high noon with a thick jungle behind him. The girl is standing next to him with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face and wordlessly asks him something.

_The daily things _

_that keep us all busy_

_ are confusing me __thats when you came to me and said, _

A door appears behind them but only Seiya notices it as the girls face is now devoid of emotion as she becomes transparent. Seiya notices this and shouts in surprise. 

_Wish i could prove i love you_

_ but does that mean i have to walk on water? _

_When we are older you'll understand _

_It's enough when i say so,_

_And maybe somethings are that simple _

He tries to grab hold of her forearm but his hand passes right through it. He starts to panic as he repeatedly tries to grab hold of her as she continues to vanish till she's gone. The door bursts open outwards and shadows rush out consuming the now enraged Seiya. 

_When you walk away_

_You don't hear me say please _

_Oh baby, don't go _

_Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight _

_It's hard to let it go _

Suddenly several birds take flight from the floor revealing a round stained glass picture of a desert filled with key shaped swords with him in the center glaring up at an unseen foe. In the center of the sky within a circle of clouds was a large heart with the girls upper body in it. 

_Hold me _

_Whatever lies beyond this morning _

_Is a little later on _

_Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all _

_Nothing's like before _

He takes a step towards the heart with wide eyes and smiles.

(END of Opening)

**She's waiting for you…**

"Huh?" Seiya replied as he looked around for the source of the voice.

Seiya looked the same as he had ten years ago although much older. His hair was cut in the same manner as it had been and other than reaching a height of six foot ten inchs tall the only other things that had changed about him was his clothing and his skin had a darker tan now.

**The girl with the Key…**

"What are you talking about! Where are you!" Seiya shouted.

**She's trapped… lost in the darkness.**

"The darkness?" Seiya said in confusion.

He remembered the Darkness… the Darkness that had taken his friend Kairi and his home from him and dropped him on Destiny Islands so long ago.

**Do not fear Darkness… for not all Darkness is evil… just as not all Light is good.**

"I suppose that makes sense… so what should I do?" He asked.

**Trust your Heart… and choose.**

The Stained Glass floor under him shatters and he blacked out as he fell. When his vision returned he was standing on another stained glass window. This one was black with a red symbol like a stylized heart (Heartless symbol). Suddenly three grey pedestals rose out of the platform and three objects appeared on them. A sword appeared on the pedestal to his right, a shield appeared on the pedestal directly in front of him and a rod appeared to his right.

**Choose… choose your path.**

Seiya instantly ran over to the sword and snatched it up.

**The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the path you choose?**

"Of course!" Seiya said confidently.

After saying this the sword vanished in a burst of light.

**Now… choose what you will give up.**

Seiya turned and regarded the remaining two items and thought about it. A shield usually represented protection and defense… while the rod was probably a magic rod. Nodding he walked over to the rod and grabbed it.

**The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this what you will give up?**

With a nod the rod dissolved into little motes of light which rose into the sky. Then the platform shattered and he blacked out.

When he awoke he found himself back in Radiant Garden as his 8 year old self with Squal, Zack, and Aerith… his friends from Radiant Garden surrounding him in the midst of the Market Place.

The Zack had been sixteen back them while Squall and Aerith had both been twelve when Radiant Garden vanished. He briefly wondered if he had somehow returned home before he realized that everything still felt very surreal… that and there was nobody other than the four of them in the Market at midday… plus they were ignoring him. He walked over to Aerith and was surprised when her mouth moved but no sound came out… except for within his mind.

**What is most Important to you?**

Surprised at the strange question Seiya answered without thought.

"My friends are the most important thing I could ever have." He answered "I would do anything for them… and I would rather die than ever betray them!"

**Is Friendship really so valuable you would rather die then betray them?**

Seiya turned to Squall who spoke in the same manner as Aerith.

**What are you afraid of?**

Seiya thought about this for a few seconds before answering.

"Death… but not my own. I fear more for the lives of those I care for than I do for my own life." He answered "However I'm still terrified of death."

**Than why would you go on an adventure in which death is a possibility?**

"Because if I didn't than somebody else would have to… someone that may not be as capable as I am." Seiya replied firmly.

**Such honor…**

Seiya turned to Zack next and was asked a question in the same manner as before.

**What do you want out of life?**

"I want… to be loved… and to be strong enough to protect those I care for." He answered.

**The Desire to protect… is that what it takes to be strong?**

Radiant Garden suddenly vanished into darkness and Seiya found himself on a pitch black platform. Several of the monsters that he remembered seeing when his home disappeared (Shadow).

**Heartless… caused when a whole loses its heart… lost in the darkness… and mindless running solely on the instinct to gather more hearts.**

The Heartless vanished and the platform turned grey with a strange white symbol appeared (Nobody emblem). A short but thin grey creature appeared then with the same symbol on its oddly shaped head (Dusk).

**Nobody… when a Whole with a strong heart loses their heart to darkness… its body may continue on its own. These beings should not exist… and are neither of the Light or of the Dark.**

The platform then turned Blue with another strange heart shaped symbol appeared (Check link in profile) and something else appeared. It look like a balloon was put under a sheet, given black eyes and a mouth with arms and it was hopping around on a single foot.

**A Lost Soul… the rarest of the Incomplete beings… when a Nobody is defeated and fades away the soul may remain if the original Whole had a strong will. These beings exist in the Light and are as intelligent as their Whole self was. They have no emotions and feel no pain due to not having a true body or heart.**

Suddenly several more of the four more Lost Souls appeared around him before they began to hop around.

**These are known as Geists… the weakest of Lost Souls.**

Suddenly the sword he picked up appeared in a flash of light. One of the Geists raised its right arm and fired a small ball of white light out of its 'sleeve' which Seiya barely managed to react fast enough to deflect. He leapt forwards and bisected the Geist diagonally before blocking another ball of light and leaping out of the surrounding circle of Geist. Once out he held his sword in front of him with both hands before ducking under a white clawed hands that came of both sleeves of the nearest Geist and tried to slash him. Leaping forward he cut the last two of the Geists across the 'waist' causing to seemingly rip apart before the 'shreds' disappeared into motes of lights. Suddenly there was a high pitched roar that made the air shake.

The grounded thudded as if something massive ran along the ground before the circular platform he was on expanded… and something new appeared. The creature was massive, it was easily two stories tall, and white in color, almost the entirety of its head was a mouth full of large teeth with two large glowing yellow eyes above it, it waddled around on to pillar like feet and a thick tail was behind it.

It looked down at Seiya for a few seconds before roaring loudly… making Seiya cough and wave his hand in front of his face.

"Oh god! You breath reeks!" He said in disgust… only to leap back as the monster spat an orb of light.

The exploded and sent Seiya flying back before slamming into the ground and rolling a few feet before coming to a stop. Seiya felt the ground shake with the creatures approach as he struggled to get to his feet… he didn't and was kicked across the platform. Using the momentum he managed to roll to his feet and brought up his sword to stab upwards into the monsters belly as it ran towards him. It hadn't expected him to be able to recover and was obviously planning on kicking him again. Roaring again it inhaled deeply before firing six orbs of light at Seiya. Steeling himself Seiya used his sword to smack each orb back at the monster sticking to it till the last one hit it causing them all to explode sending up a cloud of smoke.

After watching for a dew seconds and seeing no movement Seiya hoisted his sword up onto his right shoulder and turned away from the cloud.

**Remember this… she is waiting… also…**

A massive bone rattling roar echoed behind Seiya and before he could react he felt a breeze by his left side followed by a loud snap… before he screamed in pain and clutched at the spot where his left arm USED to be.

**Be ever vigilant.**


	3. Fall into Darkness

**Fall into the Darkness**

**I own my Oc's and my Keyblade.**

**Disembodied voice**

World- Destiny Islands (Dusk Bay)

Seiya woke with a jerk and reached for his arm in a panic only to calm down when he discovered his arm was still there.

"Seiya! Seiya!" The Matron of the Orphanage Seiya lived at called.

"Yeah Ma!" Seiya shouted back.

After Radiant Garden disappeared into darkness nine years ago Seiya had awoke in a bed at the orphanage. The matron told him he was and that he had been found two days earlier collapsed against a tree near the beach. They hadn't been able to find his parents, though he suspected they were probably dead, and he told them he couldn't remember where they were or who they were, which was a lie, and thusly he had remained at the orphanage. For the next nine years he had made it his job to remain at the orphanage and help the Matron take care of the other kids.

He had done his best to not be adopted so he could stay where he was accustomed to and had succeeded. He went to school, made friends and grew up into a young man on his new world… but there was one thing he never forgot… and that was the blue haired girl… Aqua. After he had made a new wooden sword he had started training with it everyday. He exercised everyday and was in top shape… he had just graduated High School and was going to stick around the Orphanage for a few more months until he felt ready to leave… but where he would go he had no idea.

"Seiya what did I tell you about climbing onto the roof?" The Elderly Matron said from the ground "Now get down here!"

Seiya easily climbed down using the rain gutter and ran over to the Matron. She was an old woman with gray hair and lots of wrinkles wearing a pink dress.

"Seiya could you go to the beach and bring back Tawny, Sara, John and Mark? It looks like there's a storm on its way and they've wandered to far for my voice to reach from the deck." The Matron asked "And be careful… I heard the Grand Crabs have been rather aggressive lately. The children should be okay since they know not to go where the crabs live… but you should still bring you wooden sword just in case."

"Okay Ma." Seiya said with a sloppy salute before going inside to retrieve his 'weapon'.

It was a six foot long solid Oak wooden katana that could do some serious damage but he knew how to use it like a master. He strapped it too his back and took off down the black sand path through the jungle that separated the town from the beach the kids liked to play at. The Orphanage itself was a few miles outside of town and near the rockier part of Dusk Cove itself… however the beach was sandy and the water was calm. When Seiya reached the beach he turned to look at the Orphanages deck that hung out over the beach providing shade for the children during the hotter parts of the summer. He could see the Matron on the deck pointing off towards the rocky point and turned to see the small figures of the children. He took off running down the beach towards where he could see the little children stop playing… before running off into the jungle. He smiled to himself at the realization that they were going to have to be found and caught before he could send them back home.

Reaching the spot they had been at Seiya slowly walked up the path they had run down to a large clearing with a tree house in a large Banyan tree at the center with several rock piles forming little 'caves' and a few thick hollow logs perfect for kids to hide in. He remembered fondly how he had helped build the tree house over six years ago. He started walking casually around the clearing happily looking at the scattered Coconut trees and the many wildflowers that miraculously grew so near the beach. Walking over to one of the logs that was large enough for a child to hide in he bent over and peered inside… only for a foot and a half beetle with big mandibles to shoot out in an attempt to bite his head off.

Turning quickly while drawing his sword Seiya prepared for this beetle. He should have been more careful… these beetle were herbivores and only acted like this if they were startled by something larger than themselves… and unlike the kids he was much larger than it. The beetle skittered at him with its mandibles open only to be crushed by a downwards 'slash' of his sword.

"Well I guess none of them are in there." He said before he heard a giggle from a rock 'cave' next to the log and peered inside it "I found you Tawny… now get home. Ma is starting to get worried."

A six year old girl with bright blue eyes and brown hair wearing a pink dress crawled out and smiled at him before nodding and running off.

"Well that's one down." Seiya commented before wandering off to check another rock outcrop.

Amazingly enough it took Seiya another two hours before he finally managed to find the remaining three six year olds. With a smile he started to make his way back to the orphanage too. As he made his way onto the beach something at the back of his mind made him freeze.

Suddenly the black sand all around him started shifting before exploding upwards forcing Seiya to cover his eyes. When the sand settled and he could finally see he found himself surrounded by dozens of black crabs with shells four foot wide that had an odd red symbol on the top of their shells that all started moving towards him. Reacting quickly he leapt forward and with a downward swing he smashed the nearest crabs shell to piece before leaping back to avoid another crabs guillotine-like pincers only to be grabbed by another crab. Thinking quickly Seiya stabbed backwards disorienting the crab that grabbed him causing it to release him and leapt forward using an advancing crab as a stepping stone. He was being forced back towards the point by these strange crabs… he knew they weren't Grand Crabs because although they were of similar size they were brown in color.

The crabs were quite fast, easily keeping up with him as they chased him towards the Point. Sliding to a stop when he reached the first massive twelve foot tall rock Seiya turned to face the Crabs… he was trapped with no place to go and so smirked before charging at them with a war cry… before the whole ground heaved under him. It felt like the whole world was being ripped apart underneath his feet with a deafening roar and he couldn't even get to his feet or even take a look at his surroundings. As soon as it began it stopped he struggled to his feet and gasped. The spot he was standing on… was the only piece of solid ground left. All around him a dark wind blew in a purple sky as the floating 'islands' that made up the area surrounding his own 'island' shattered in the wind. Suddenly he felt a presence and turned to see a massive black human like beast with a huge hole in its chest and hair that seemed to be made of the same inky black substance of its body. (Darkside)

The massive beast loomed up over him before glowing yellow eyes opened and looked at him. Seiya took a few steps back before there was a flash and he looked at his sword in surprise… in his hand now was the very same key-like weapon he had made nearly ten years ago (A/N: I'll post a link in my profile so I don't have to describe it… the only change to the image the link will lead you to is that the 'wings' completely encircle the handle.) Shaking his head to clear his confusion he held it in front of him in his stance.

"I have no idea what's happening but I won't let it happen without a fight!" Seiya said as the monster reared back fired several glowing purple orbs that shot towards Seiya.

Seiya deflected the orbs which shot off and hit the beast in the head. The creature reared its fist back and tried to punch him but he leapt over and onto its fist before running up its arm to the beasts head where he then began to slash at it as hard as he could causing it to roar deeply… before exploding sending Seiya flying off the 'island' and into darkness.

Several Hours Later

"Hey." A kind female voice said "Are you okay?"

Seiya groaned before remembering what happened. His eyes snapped open and he kicked the blurry figure standing over him in the chest before rolling backwards and instinctively summoning his weapon. He rushed forward as the figure did the same as him. He pressed the tip of his weapon to the figures throat and felt the figure press a weapon to his chest where his heart would be.

The two of them stayed like that as Seiya's vision cleared and the face of the figure came into focus he gasped and his eyes went wide… the girl had the same reaction. A flash from his memory of the girl who had 'helped' him save his friend Kairi ten years ago and him asking her to be his girlfriend… just as she saw the little boy she had saved what seemed like only a few days ago replace the young man standing before her. Seiya dropped his weapon which landed on the ground with a muted clank.

"Aqua?" He asked in surprise.

"You're Seiya?" She said in confusion as she took a few steps back "How… how long has it been since you saw me?"

"Ten years." he said in stunned surprise "But you look exactly the same."

"Ten years…" Aqua said sadly before she took a few tentative steps forward "You have a key blade."

"Is that what that's called? I haven't seen it in nearly eleven years." He replied in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She asked in equal confusion.

"I made this when Ansem the Wise was experimenting with Synthesis six months before I met you… but as soon as it appeared it vanished in a burst of light." Seiya said before smirking and saying in a sly voice "Hey Aqua… I'm older now… so what do you say? Will you be my girlfriend?"

Aqua's face became flushed and the key blade she had in her hand vanished in her embarrassment.

"I don't think this is the proper place to talk about that kind of thing!" She said in embarrassment.

"And where exactly am I?" Seiya asked as he got to his feet and looked around.

Except for the path of dark blue stone they stood on there was nothing but endless blackness.

"The Realm of Darkness." Aqua said sadly "I sacrificed my self to prevent my friend from being sent here and now I'm trapped here… how did you get here?"

"Well… the last thing I remember was fighting this huge ink-black human shaped monster before falling off the remaining chunk of my world." Seiya said with a thoughtful expression.

Truth was… he had never dated at all in his life… he had only one person in his heart and he had thought he would never see her again… and if he did she would have aged as much as he had and would tell him to find someone his own age… now here she was… exactly the same as she was when he fell in love with her so long ago… and now he was the same age as her.

"What! Radiant Garden was destroyed!" She said in surprise.

"Yeah." He replied sadly "It was destroyed over nine years ago… and just recently the world that had become my new home met the same fate… which is how I got here."

Aqua looked quite worried but the worry turned to confusion when Seiya smiled.

"I know its terrible and my heart hurts a lot… but in a way… I'm glad." He said "Because I got to meet you again."

The look on her face was a mixture of equal parts embarrassment, anger, and confusion before Seiya walked started walking towards her.

"Aqua… I was serious when I asked if you would be my girlfriend. I felt a spark in my heart when I met you… and since then that spark hasn't faded or dimmed. I don't know why… maybe its destiny… maybe it truly is love… but I know the only person that could ever hold my heart is you." He said as he walked towards her.

As he said this Aqua's cheeks reddened and she looked downwards and to the side. When Seiya reached her he gently placed his hand on her chin and turned her to look at him. He smirked as he found she was a head shorter than he was.

"Aqua… I've waited ten years to tell you this. I've known it in my heart for years… and I only hope I can get you to feel the same as me… Aqua… I love you" He said gently to which she blushed harder "And since you're trapped here… I swear I'll find a way to get us both out of here."

Aqua pushed his hand off her chin and looked at the ground dejectedly.

"I don't see how… it feels like I've barely been here a day… but if it's really been ten years… then maybe there isn't a way to get back." She said sadly.

"Aqua!" Seiya said forcefully "Never give up hope! There is nothing that's impossible if you just believe that it can be done! You just have to throw out logic and DO the impossible!"

Aqua just looked at him in confusion for a few seconds before trying to cover her giggles with her hand.

"I'm not sure what you mean… but thanks." She said gratefully "All I know for certain is that in order for me to leave… I'll need help from someone on the other side."

"What do you mean?" Seiya asked in confusion "You need a dead persons help?"

Aqua giggled again before smiling at him.

"No.. I need help from someone in the Realm of Light." She explained "I don't know for sure what they'd need to do… but I'm sure that Master Yen Sid will know."

Just as she said these words there was a flash and he found himself several feet from where she stood. He looked down in confusion and saw the black sand from his home start expanding beneath him as the growing 'island' of sand started to drift away from the stunned Aqua.

"Aqua! What's happening?" He asked.

"It seems that your worlds heart was returned… so you're going back!" She shouted as he drifted further away.

"Where can I find Master Yen Sid!" He shouted.

But apparently she could not hear him. He saw her try to shout to him but he couldn't hear anything she had said. He tried to take a step towards her but found his feet wouldn't move. He reached for her with a determined look on his face as his Keyblade flashed into his other hand.

"AQUA! I SWEAR I'LL GET YOU OUT OF HERE!" He shouted to the stunned girl in desperation before she vanished and he blacked out.

**Your key… Unyielding Honor… the power to fulfill your promise… the way to leave your world. All you have to do is will it… and it shall be.**


	4. Intricacies Within Intricacies

Intricacies Within Intricacies

I only own my Oc's, the Lost Souls, and my Keyblade.

Seiya could hear the gentle sounds of waves rolling against the shore when he began to regain consciousness. He slowly clutched at the course sand he was laying on and groaned. He felt like he had been beaten on every inch of his body and didn't want to move at all.

He wondered where he was and opened his eyes only to quickly shut them again and hold up his hands to block out the bright light that burned his eyes. He coughed as he achingly sat up and rubbed his temples to try and soothe his pounding head. He lay back down and lay his forearm over his eyes and groaned again as he tried to remember what had happened.

'What happened?' He wondered in confusion… before everything that happened rushed back to him.

"Aqua!" He shouted as his eyes shot open and he snapped up into a sitting position before flinching in the dual pain of moving his sore body and being blinded by the sudden light.

Once his vision cleared he looked around to find himself laying on the black sand beach near the path to the clearing the tree house was built in. He slowly got to his feet and stumbled slightly before stretching and taking a closer look at his surroundings. It was obvious that he had returned to Dusk Bay but he briefly wondered if he had fallen asleep after finding the kids and had a very vivid dream. Nothing seemed to have changed as far as he could tell and there was no evidence that the world had disappeared and he had been sent to the strange dark world.

"Was… it all just a dream?" He wondered aloud as he held up his right hand and stared intently at it.

Deciding to test a theory he focused on the key-like weapon he had made years ago and was surprised to find that it appeared in his hand in a flash of grey light. Despite its near seven feet in length it felt like it was weightless. Giving a few experimental swings before willing it to return to… wherever it went when it wasn't being used.

'So it wasn't a dream.' he thought happily before thinking about what the voice had told him 'So… using this… Keyblade, I can travel to different worlds and find a way to save Aqua.'

He then had another thought and looked towards the Orphanage.

'I hope the others are ok!' He thought before running off down the beach.

As he ran he kept an eye open just in case any of the black crab Heartless appeared but luckily nothing happened as he reached the path to the front of the orphanage.

"Hey Seiya!" He heard Ma call.

Turning to the front door Seiya was relieved to see the elder matron looking the same as always with her gentle smile present as always.

"Seiya could you go into town and get some ingredients from the store?" Ma asked "I was going to make some nice stew but I realized that I don't have the right ingredients."

"Sure Ma." Seiya said with a smile before turning and heading down the drive.

The Orphanage sat at the end of a short asphalt driveway leading from a long highway that ran the entirety of the island in a loop with a bridge leading to the mainland at the eastern tip. The largest town on the island was six miles down the road at the western tip with three smaller towns dotting the coast. When Seiya reached the highway he turned onto it and started down it moving at a comfortable pace at which he knew it would take him about an hour to reach town.

As he walked down the road he thought about exactly how he could use the Keyblade to leave the world. The voice hadn't been very specific having only mentioned something about using his will to travel. He had no idea what that entailed or how he would determine where he would travel to even if he found the way to travel. Plus he had to figure out a way to save Aqua from the Realm of Darkness… he still didn't understand why he left when the island started forming underneath his feet while she was left behind… or why he couldn't move his feet while it was doing so. Frankly he was rather mad at himself for his inability to do anything for her and mad at the voice for being so infuriatingly vague.

As he walked down the road he didn't realize that someone in a hooded white robe (like the Organizations) was following him in the shadows.

An hour later and he had reached town and waved at a few of his friends that hadn't left for college yet as he continued to either rack his mind to think of a way to either use is Keyblade to travel, pick a destination to travel to, and find a way to save Aqua. So far he had none and it was starting to get on his nerves. He felt like the answer was something he knew but was overlooking and this in turn was making his head hurt and making him angry. He walked into the general store and pulled out the list Ma had given him and looked at what she needed.

As he walked up and down the aisles in search of the items on the list Seiya's thoughts turned to what Aqua was doing and if she would be okay in the Realm of Darkness. He was sure she would be fine but that didn't stop him from worrying about her. What more he started to get angry and depressed at the thought of her. He finally saw her after ten years and just after he told her he had been serious when he said he loved her he got separated from her again. He was sure that she didn't love him… but when he saved her he would do his very best to make her fall in love with him. How he would do that exactly though he had absolutely no idea whatsoever seeing as he had no experience with how to get a girl to fall for him… and his male friends were poor choices to go to for advance considering most of them were perverts to some degree or would just laugh if he asked them.

He finished finding the items of Ma's list and got in line at the counter as he began to wonder if all the worlds were like this one and Radiant Garden or if they were nothing at all like the two he had been on. He had heard from Zack before he vanished that there was a world for every star in the sky which meant there were literally thousands and thousands of worlds out there. He was sure that he would one day visit them… if he ever figured out how to do it. At that thought he growled to himself.

"How exactly am I supposed to 'Will' something to happen?" He wondered aloud angrily "And what does it mean anyways?"

"Well… when you 'will' something to happen you focus your heart and mind on what you want to happen in the hopes that doing so will affect the outcome of things." The girl behind the register replied.

Coming out of his thoughts he realized he was at the counter and had already given the girl all his items to total them up. Smiling sheepishly he paid her before taking the bags and heading for home.

'So… its like how I focused on bringing the Keyblade to my hand?' he thought in realization before palming his forehead in anger.

It had been so simple… of course he had overlooked it. It was his will which summoned the Keyblade to his hand when he wanted it and he would use the same will to leave the world… but he still had no idea as to how he would figure out exactly where he would go. The only world he had been to was Radiant Garden and he wasn't even sure if it was back or still consumed by darkness. Even if he knew where he wanted to go he still didn't know how he was supposed to choose that place as his destination.

"You know… its really quite simple." A young feminine voice asked.

Seiya instinctively spun around and summoned his Keyblade to his right hand as he faced the source of the voice. He found himself staring at a person wearing a white cloak with the hood up. He couldn't make out any of the persons features but if he went by the voice he knew it was a female.

"What do you mean?" He asked suspiciously as he pointed his Keyblade at her.

"All you really need to know about it… is that in order to travel to another world you must know that worlds name… and will a portal to open leading to that world." The woman replied.

Seiya's eyes narrowed. There was something familiar about this womans voice but he couldn't quite place what it was.

"So…your saying all I need to do is think of the name of a world I want to go to as I will a portal to open?" Seiya asked "What if I don't know any other worlds?"

The figure nodded slightly before answering.

"If you focus on the Keyblade and listen closely… you will hear the names of the closest world endangered by the darkness… but I will tell you the name of the world where you might learn how to save the woman in the dark." The figure said.

"So do I need to keep focused on the world I'm going to?" Seiya asked.

"No… only the initial thought when summoning the portal is needed." The woman stated.

Seiya was confused now… how did this woman know all this? Who was she?

"Who are you?" He asked forcefully "How do you know all this?"

The woman didn't say anything for a few seconds before turning her back to him.

"Who I am… and the means as to how I know so much is something you may learn on your own… should you survive long enough during your journey." She replied cryptically before starting to walk off "However I do look forward to seeing you should you survive… as for the world… its called Mysterious Tower."

With that said she walked off into the jungle and vanished. Seiya kept his Keyblade raised for a few seconds before dismissing it and turning back down the road. As he neared the driveway leading to the Orphanage he pondered on the strange woman's reasons for explaining things to him.

He delivered the ingredients to Ma before climbing up the stairs and entering his room. The room was rather bare having packed most of his stuff in preparation for his eventual moving out leaving the room with a worn wooden desk and chair, a simple bed, a night stand and the dresser. He walked over and collapsed onto his bed before raising his right arm and summoning his Keyblade to it. As he looked over the large weapon he wondered about what the strange woman had explained to him.

'Can anything that woman said be trusted? Nothing she said seemed unreasonable I suppose… but she wouldn't explain to me where she learned about it… or who the hell she was.' He thought "Not only that but where the hell did she even come from? I've never seen her around here before and I'm absolutely sure that I'm the only one here that is even aware there are other worlds. Those alone makes everything she said suspicious… not that she wasn't suspicious to begin with.'

He sighed as he rested his arm at his side with the Keyblade still clutched in it.

'And where the hell does this thing go when I don't have it? Exactly what is the Keyblade and does it have anything to do with my island disappearing? If this damn thing was the reason my island vanished then I'll be pissed!' He thought before reconsidering 'Well maybe not pissed since I did see Aqua again… but I'll still be very angry.'

Sighing sadly he closed his eyes and fell into a sleep filled with dreams of Aqua.

An hour later and Ma's voice calling him down for dinner woke him up. He looked at his right hand and found the Keyblade had vanished when he had fallen asleep. He rolled off the bed, stretched and headed down for dinner.

The next morning had Seiya standing out front of the Orphanage with a hiking pack waving goodbye to Ma and the other children that lived at the Orphanage.

"Bye guys! I'll come back to visit as soon as I kind!" He shouted before walking off down the road.

By noon he had reached the bridge leading off the island of Dusk Bay but instead of heading out onto it he instead headed down to the beach. As he walked onto the beach and away from the bridge he looked to make sure nobody was near. Upon seeing he was alone he stopped, took of his pack, and summoned his Keyblade and held it in front of him as if he was going to enter a fight. Seiya was going to do some practice with his new weapon and although it seemed to be weightless which most would assume meant it would be easier to wield he was used to training with heavy wooden swords and so would need time to get used to the Keyblade.

He began to slowly move through the various slashes, blocks, stabs, kicks and punches his personal fighting style used. When fighting he had always thought that a good strike was powerful, accurate and as fast as possible… while simultaneously maintaining his movement and keeping himself in balance so he could easily strike when he saw a place to strike. Unfortunately until now he had been unable to do so since his weapon had been to unwieldy to make such actions as he would have liked. Now however he was starting to slowly increase the speed of his movements until he was attacking, blocking and moving around his invisible opponent at a speed he had never managed to achieve before. It was nowhere near lightning fast like some of the fighters in movies moved but for the length of his Keyblade he was moving at an impressive speed.

Nodding his head in approval at his new found speed he wondered exactly how much cutting power such a seemingly weightless and blunt edged 'sword' actually had. Looking around him he saw a rather large three and a half foot thick log laying on the beach. Making his way over to it he examined it for a few minutes to make sure it wasn't rotten or hollow which would make it easier to cut and would completely ruing what he wanted to check. Upon determining the log wasn't hollow or rotten but actually a surprisingly hard variety of wood he took a few steps back and held his Keyblade in front of him. After a few practice swings he raised his weapon over his head and brought it down as hard as he could. The log was split cleanly in half and the Keyblade was embedded in the ground.

"Wow this thing sure has some power to it." He commented to himself.

He returned to his pack and placed it back on his shoulders before he began focusing as hard as he could to opening a portal to the world he had been told was called 'The Mysterious Tower' and gasped when a beam of light shot from the tip of the Keyblade and opened a round portal of light large enough for him to walk through directly in front of him. With a victorious shout Seiya ran into the portal which closed as soon as he entered it.

Deep in the Jungle

"Well… that takes care of that threat." The white robed woman said nonchalantly.

The idiotic boy had done exactly as she said. Without continuing to concentrate on his destination he would never reach where he wanted to go and unfortunately for him this would result in only one of three things. He would either be consumed by the Darkness between the worlds… removing him as a threat and possibly creating both a powerful Heartless as well as a strong Nobody. He may also end up in the Realm of Darkness… in which case it would take a while before he managed to escape it. Finally he could be sucked into the Realm of Nothingness and simply cease to be. Regardless of what happened her master would be able to continue his plans uninterrupted for at least a while.

With Seiya

Seiya stepped out of the portal… and everything went wrong. He could see only white, he felt nothing against his skin… not air… not the cloth of his clothes… but he wasn't numb. He could breathe but there was no smell or taste to what he inhaled. He could hear nothing at all and he began to panic before realizing… that the woman had indeed tricked him. He was lost… in a place he could neither place or name… and if what he felt in his heart meant anything… he needed to find a way to escape… or he would be lost.


	5. Return to Darkness

Lessons in the Darkness

I only own my oc and the Keyblade I made.

Nothing.

Never ending nothingness.

Seiya panicked as he instinctively felt himself fading.

He tried to keep his rapidly fading focus by concentrating on his promise to Aqua… suddenly he felt like he was hit by something… and he found himself standing on a beach… the same beach he had seen Aqua on in his vision.

He looked towards the rock and saw a figure wearing a black hooded cloak sitting on the rock. He walked towards the figure cautiously when the figure spoke.

"It seems… that you have just escaped the Realm of Nothingness." The figure said "You are quite lucky my young friend."

Seiya quirked an eyebrow at this.

"What do you mean… the Realm of Nothingness?" Seiya asked.

The man shuffled a bit before answering.

"The Realm of Nothingness is a plane of reality… where nothing exists. Most anything sent there fades away to nothing." The man said "I admit I am curious as to how you arrived at such a place."

Seiya took a thoughtful expression before coming to a conclusion that made sense.

"I met a woman in a white robe… I was trying to find a way to leave my world so I could fulfill a promise I made to someone… and she taught me how to open a dark portal." Seiya explained slowly.

"Well then… it appears she gave you inaccurate directions then. You must not have focused properly on the location you were trying to reach." The man replied with a chuckle.

Seiya mulled this over for a few seconds before he snarled.

"THAT BITCH!" He shouted angrily "IF I EVER GET A HOLD OF THAT BITCH I'LL KILL HER!"

"Well I suppose that is something you deserve." The man replied.

After Seiya had finished his rant he regained his thoughtful expression and watched the old man in silence for several minutes. Finally he took a few steps towards the man and observed him briefly again before speaking up.

"There's… something familiar about you… but I can't place it… it's like an old friend who I haven't seen or heard from in years." Seiya said wistfully.

The man looked up and chuckled.

"I remember a young boy like you. He was always trying to remember something even if he didn't have anything to remember. He was quite a precocious child and was always where he shouldn't be. His thirst for knowledge was only outclassed by his thirst for adventure." The man said calmly "He would always bring strange things he had found while exploring in some cave or while wandering the maintenance areas of Radiant Garden and ask me what they were."

Just then it all snapped into place for Seiya.

"Ansem the Wise?" Seiya asked in astonishment.

The figure looked at Seiya in what seemed like surprise.

"How do you know my name?" Ansem asked.

"It's me Mister Ansem… the little boy was me… I'm Seiya." Seiya replied slowly.

"You're the little boy who used to protect Kairi when she was little?" Ansem asked as he looked Seiya over "Well it seems you've grown into a fine young man in the years since our home fell. May I ask you… what promise were you so intent in keeping… that you chose to take advice on traveling between worlds from a stranger you had just met?"

"Remember the last time I spoke to you? I told you that I had met a pretty girl who had helped me protect Kairi?" Seiya asked to which Ansem nodded "Her name was Aqua… and apparently she became trapped here not long after I had met her… because she had sacrificed herself to protect her friend. When the world I grew up on was taken by darkness… I met her again… exactly as I remembered her ten years ago. It was then I promised to find a way to save her from wandering the Realm of Darkness forever."

Ansem nodded before he spoke.

"I just met with the young woman you speak of… she left not long ago… though I doubt you could find her again." Ansem said "She seemed too believe that you would keep your promise… but was worried you may go to extremes to do so. May I ask if you have any idea as to how you plan on freeing her?"

"Well… before my world reformed beneath my feet… I heard her tell me to find someone named Yen Sid… but I didn't hear where to look for him. But the woman who tricked me said to go to a place called the Mysterious Tower… but I bet that's a lie as well." Seiya explained bitterly.

"Actually… the Mysterious Tower is where the great wizard… Master Yen Sid resides. However you can't just get there via dark portal unless you have the backing of a very powerful darkness." Ansem explained "You must go to Twilight Town first and got to the Sunset Terraces train station and wait for a purple train. That train will take you to the Mysterious Tower and Master Yen Sid is at the very top. If you tell him that both Aqua and I suggested you seek him out for answers he may just tell you what you wish to know."

"Ok… but I have one question… what's a dark portal?" Seiya asked in confusion.

Ansem's posture showed confusion at the question.

"If you don't know what a dark portal is… then how were you trying to travel?" Ansem asked.

"Well… the Keyblade shot a beam of white light from the tip and a glowing white portal appeared before me." Seiya explained.

Ansem looked thoughtful for a few minutes before speaking again.

"I do not know what method you were trying to travel via… however it seems unique to the Keyblade… which would mean that the woman who gave you false information must be at the very least familiar with the abilities of the Keyblade… and at most a wielder herself." Ansem explained.

"Well anyway thanks for the help Mister Ansem!" Seiya said happily.

Just as Seiya turn to leave he remembered something…

"Ummm… Mister Ansem… how do I leave?" He asked.

Ansem chuckled.

"Open a portal as you were told but this time you should focus on what world you wish to go to during the entire time you are in the corridor you travel through." Ansem answered "However since you are not traveling via a method I am familiar with it may not work as I explained… but I am sure that the theory is the same."

"Right! Thanks Mister Ansem!" Seiya said before focusing on opening the portal.

"Seiya… before you go… there is something I wish to tell you… I am confident that will be helpful for you on your journey." Ansem Said suddenly "The one piece of my research that I never left notes on."

"Really?" Seiya asked in amazement "You were usually so meticulous in your note taking!"

"Yes I know it is unusual for me but I assure you… there is a reason as to why I never left any notes behind on this particular path of research." Ansem said gravely "And I fear I will lose what I learned on the subject soon… and so wish to pass on the knowledge to you."

"Ok Mister Ansem." Seiya said before walking over and sitting in front of Ansem.

"My research into Hearts began by researching what makes up a complete being. Most of those who are fighting the darkness are aware of the Body and Heart. Losing ones heart forms a heartless… and if the heart was strong enough the body will begin acting on its own as a nobody." Ansem explained to the attentive Seiya "But there is a third part to a complete being."

"There is?" Seiya asked before being silenced by a glare.

"The Soul, along with the Body and Heart, is a part vital to the complete existence of any living thing. The soul literally gives the body life, it is the difference between being alive or dead. It is the force that wills the body to live, and drives it to survive." Ansem explained "When someone becomes a Heartless, their heart, which controls the body, is released and the body and soul is left behind becoming a Nobody. Strong Nobodies, such as the members of Organization XIII retain their human form. They are able to retain their form due to having a strong will when they were complete beings. Therefore, it is clear that will is related and an essential part of the soul."

"Is that all?" Seiya asked in confusion "That doesn't sound like something dangerous enough to not write down."

"Unlike the heart, which controls the body, telling it what to do and giving it feelings and emotion, the soul is the energy and life the body uses to carry out the heart's commands. Essentially, the soul is life." Ansem said after ignoring Seiya "I theorized that if a whole being was strong enough… that when their Nobody is destroyed… their soul takes a form of its own. Most souls merely vanish… some become ghosts… but those who were part of a fractured whole would become what I called a Lost Soul."

"Yeah I've seen and fought them… not really all that tough." Seiya said flippantly.

"If one were to gain control of the Lost Souls and use the Darkness to fuse enough of them together… then the power that would be amassed… could destroy the universe." Ansem said without acknowledging Seiya.

"So… what should I do with this information?" Seiya asked.

"Nothing… but now you know the dangers that Lost Soul's present." Ansem said calmly.

"If there's nothing else you need to tell me then I should get going to twilight town." Seiya said before turning to leave.

When Ansem hadn't called him back he followed the old man's directions and opened another door with his Keyblade and, after taking a deep breath, stepped into the white portal.

A/N: really bad chapter in my opinion.


End file.
